After Marisol ditches him to run off to New York and find herself, John reflects on his situation. He's upset about his best friend leaving, to be sure, but he gets that they can't be together, no matter how badly he wants it to happen. Just when we're about to write this off as the most depressing book ever, though, we get a small glimpse of hope. John tells us:
I'm ready, I think, to join them. Very anxious, more than a little scared, susceptible now to anything that might happen. (17.36)
Hmm… could our resident cynic have turned soft? Well, not exactly—but we do get the idea that there's more ahead of him than a future full of emotionless doubt and self-loathing. And that, Shmoopers, gives us hope. Call us romantics, but we think the best is yet to come for John. Why? He says so himself. He's less skeptical now and willing to try something new; he's open. Here's hoping he finds what he's looking for.